AHEC Northwest Celebrates New Home

By Jon Parham

 The new AHEC-Northwest Clinic in Fayetteville hosted a March 30 open house.
The new AHEC Northwest Clinic in Fayetteville
hosted a March 30 open house.

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(From left) David Williams, Ph.D.; Bob Gullett, M.D., AHEC Northwest Director, Ann Rosso, vice chair
of the UAMS Northwest Advisory Board,
and Bill Ramsey attend the open house.

(From left) Steve Clark, president of the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce, Fred Vorsanger, chair of the AHEC Northwest Community Advisory Board, and Peter Kohler, M.D., vice chancellor of UAMS Northwest
(From left) Steve Clark, president of the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce, Fred Vorsanger, chair of the AHEC Northwest Community Advisory Board, and Peter Kohler, M.D., vice chancellor of UAMS Northwest

April 12, 2010 | UAMS Northwest hosted a March 30 open house for the new Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Northwest clinic in Fayetteville.

The new clinic, in the UAMS Northwest building once home to Washington Regional Medical Center, is twice the size of the former location. The clinic moved in December upon completion of $2 million in renovations to make room for the clinic, AHEC education programs and growing programs of the new UAMS Northwest regional campus.

“This is a much larger and beautiful facility with state of the art equipment, which allows us to provide our patients the very best in medical care,” said AHEC Northwest Director Bob Gullett, M.D.

Community members attending the open house toured the clinic and received an update on the progress of UAMS Northwest.

The AHEC clinic is host to 27 UAMS family medicine physicians serving their medical residencies. The AHEC also includes programs from the UAMS colleges of Nursing, Pharmacy and Health Related Professions.

Education programs in the AHEC Northwest also moved into the new home, including nursing and allied health professions. Six third-year UAMS medical students began classes at UAMS Northwest in July 2009 and will be joined by six more in 2010.

“I am enthusiastic about the improved AHEC facilities, which will be a resource for the residents and students,” said Peter O. Kohler, M.D., vice chancellor UAMS Northwest.

The next phase of renovations is expected to be complete in late 2010, making space for future pharmacy students and adding more study space along with other resources for students.

The first 20-30 third-year pharmacy students will begin classes at UAMS Northwest in 2011. They will join several fourth year students who already gain clinical experience in pharmacies in the region.

Eventual enrollment at the Northwest Arkansas campus is expected to be between 250-300 with students in medical, pharmacy, nursing and allied health programs.